Pro-enkephalin opioid peptides are abundant in porcine and bovine splenic nerves, but absent from nerves of rat, mouse, hamster, and guinea-pig spleen.

The opioidergic innervation of the mammalian spleen and possible species differences were investigated. Light-microscopic immunohistochemistry revealed that splenic nerves of bovine and porcine spleen, but not of rat, mouse, hamster and guinea-pig spleen contained proenkephalin-derived opioidergic innervation. Immunoreactivity to both prodynorphin and pro-opiomelanocortin was absent from splenic nerves. In bovine and porcine spleen, fibers immunoreactive for met-enkephalin, met-enkephalin-Arg-Phe, met-enkephalin-Arg-Gly-Leu, leu-enkephalin and peptide F formed perivascular plexus, traveled in trabecular connective tissue, and extended into the capsule. Spatial relationships with immune cells were apparent in the white and red pulp, excluding lymphoid follicles. Colocalization of enkephalin immunoreactivity with immunoreactivities for tyrosin hydroxylase, dopamin-beta-hydroxylase, and neuropeptide Y, but not for substance P or calcitonin gene-related peptide were found. Our results provide evidence that opioid expression in splenic innervation is strongly species-dependent and exclusively proenkephalin-derived. Colocalization with marker enzymes of noradrenergic neurons indicates a mainly postganglionic sympathetic origin of proenkephalinergic splenic innervation. Opioidergic perivascular nerves probably control the splenic blood flow. A close interrelationship of opioidergic fibers with immune cells provides the anatomical basis for direct effects of neurally released opioids on splenic immune functions.